


Ribbon tails

by stupidqpid



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, M/M, Mild Gore, Pet Shop of Horrors AU, Psychological Trauma, Supernatural Elements, blink and miss it mention of a dead animal, catboy!San
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:53:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27734110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidqpid/pseuds/stupidqpid
Summary: From ordinary pets to more exotic animals, we have everything you can dream of.But fail to respect the contract...The store won't be held accountable for the consequences.---Jongho recently lost his boyfriend San and decides to fill the emptiness in his heart with a cat, fulfilling the deceased lover's dream of raising one together, after chancing upon a peculiar pet store.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Choi San
Comments: 9
Kudos: 19





	Ribbon tails

**Author's Note:**

> Don't @ me for the title or the shop's name, i'm unoriginal like that x'D  
> At least I didn't lift it right off the manga...  
> -  
> Hongjoong's outfit is inspired by their [20200822](https://twitter.com/auroraslight98/status/1299395108798951429?s=12) performance @ Korea On Stage  
> -  
> The section starting with Jongho and his coworker has a slightly jumping timeline, and the way Jongho talks about San's presence is a bit confusing on purpose, but i hope it's still readable.

_“Kyaaaah! Our own place!”_

_Jongho watched with fond eyes how his boyfriend twirled around the box-filled living room of their newly acquired apartment, a literal and figurative tornado of joy in his life. San stopped right in front of Jongho and let his raised arms fall heavily on the younger’s strong shoulders, an armful of cardboard box separating the two of them._

_“And soon enough there will be someone else padding around~” he singsonged._

_Jongho snorted playfully. “Shouldn’t we settle in first before adopting every stray cat of the neighborhood?”_

_“Fair enough,” San conceded with a shrug, yet unable to conceal a mischievous grin. He leaned in to plant a kiss on Jongho’s nose. “I lo-”_

A loud and prolonged honk startled Jongho out of his thoughts right before he could cross the one-way street without checking. He mechanically bowed his head in apology towards the angry driver, barely registering the muffled curses coming from behind the car window. Once the way was clear, he could head to the opposite sidewalk as intended; well, not really, considering Jongho has been walking aimlessly since he left work, well lit streets and shady alleys just a blur while the sun set.

Turning left of a fish shop, Jongho walked down a slightly steep alleyway, promising himself to find his way back home once he reached the end of it. About halfway through, though, a sign caught his attention. 

_Pets’ Eden_ was written in elegant calligraphy, both in korean and chinese characters, on a banner outside an old-timey looking shop, its façade still in mint condition. On a whim, influenced by the rudely interrupted memory still roaming his subconscious, Jongho pushed the deep green door open. 

A soft tinkling sound overhead and a mild waft of incense welcomed him inside, only to be stopped about a meter in by a set of carved wooden panels with milky white paper screens, slightly ajar. Jongho was about to muster the courage to call out for anybody when a manicured hand pushed the panels open. Standing a bit shorter than Jongho himself was a dark haired young man wearing a modernized white and blue hanbok, made more ethereal by some gauzy details, who greeted him with an ambiguous smile. 

“Welcome to Pets’ Eden. I’m Hongjoong, how may I be of service?”

Jongho was growing more and more suspicious that he accidentally walked in a brothel or massage parlour with “happy ending”.

“Err… I’m sorry, I think I entered the wrong place--”

“Oh? Aren’t you looking for a pet? We have everything ranging from cats and dogs to more exotic species.”

At the mention of cats, Jongho froze. Feeling slightly bad for making Hongjoong wait while he took his sweet time to fight with his inner self, he finally made a decision.

“Y-yes, actually. I was considering getting a cat. It was my boyfriend’s biggest wish, to raise a cat together, before he…”

Tightening his fists, Jongho looked away. It has been nearly six months already, but the memory is still fresh. Also, there really was no reason to pour his heart out in front of a total stranger, someone who was just doing his job no less.

With a slow and serious nod of his head, Hongjoong stepped aside to let his customer in. “I may have something perfect for you. Please follow me.”

Despite the name of the shop and the--manager’s? owner’s?--description, Jongho was surprised to find actual pets in the store, since he could neither hear nor smell anything just past that screen, but cages and tanks of every size and shape were filling the deceptively small place like extensions of the oriental-fusion style of the interiors. Their occupants either observed him curiously or kept napping away; Jongho could’ve sworn some of them looked like they stepped right out of illustrated fantasy books, but maybe the dim lights were playing tricks on him.

The pair walked past a partially hidden door and down a long and tortuous hallway, the smell of incense getting more intense the farther they went. They stopped at the fifth door, but it was easy to guess that wasn’t the end of it. How big is this place, really?

“This is it,” announced Hongjoong, opening the door and allowing Jongho to walk in first.

Everything in the room was in the hues of purple—San would’ve liked it. Weightless curtains were covering walls and ceiling, some hanging down in pretty arches while decorative beads reflected what they could of the dim lights; on the floor, several embroidered carpets separated the sparse furniture and the little mountain of plump silken pillows in the middle of the room from the cold flooring. There, curled up on top of the makeshift bed, a young man was sleeping peacefully.

“No...it can’t be...”

Jongho took a step forward but felt weak at the knees. He caught himself just in time, then resumed his careful march.

“Is this some sick joke? Is it really--”

“Gorgeous cat, isn’t it?”

Hongjoong’s statement startled Jongho, who almost forgot the other’s presence. Mostly, he reeled from the abrupt and unmerciful reminder that he was indeed in a pet shop, about to fill the San-shaped hole in his life with a cat and posthumously grant his lover’s wish. So why was...

After shooting a quick hurt glance at the impassible store owner, Jongho looked down at his dead boyfriend’s lookalike, noticing only when Hongjoong gently stroked his head that there was a pair of fluffy ears on top of it, initially concealed by the messy mop of hair and the purplish semi darkness of the room. A ribbon sat prettily on the back of his neck, its color unclear once again due to the lights.

The tender petting was enough to rouse the catboy. His gaze immediately fell on Jongho. Rubbing his eyes in a really cat-like fashion to force the sleep away, he sat up, keeping his balance on the precarious pile of pillows thanks to his feather shaped tail. The smile he gave the newcomer was shy, but enough to display the beginning of a pair of adorable dimples.

Jongho’s voice cracked when he addressed Hongjoong. “How much is it? Please, I’ll find a way to pay you any amount in full, just please…”

Hongjoong retrieved a contract from his robes and presented it to him. “Everything is explained here. Please read carefully, especially these three rules:

  1. Do not show him to anyone;
  2. Feed him once or twice every day (a meat and fish based diet is preferable);
  3. Never remove his ribbon, under any circumstance.



“If any of these clauses are breached, the shop can’t be held responsible for the consequences. If you understood and agreed with everything, please sign here.”

Jongho nearly snatched the pen from Hongjoong’s grasp in his haste to sign the contract. He committed the three rules to memory, but the rest he simply skimmed over. The incredibly low price made him pause, though, still dubious even after Hongjoong confirmed there were no typos, but he was too desperate to have San back to question it further and rather counted his blessings.

“So, uhm…” Jongho cleared his throat. “Can I already take him home or do you, uh, deliver him?”

Hongjoong grinned. “You’re free to leave with him! But remember,” he added, staring meaningfully at the buyer, “nobody can see him.”

Jongho cursed under his breath. He didn’t even know where he was, only that he arrived there by foot: he couldn’t possibly make San walk across the city or take public transportation with a jacket over his head. Seoul is quite hustlin’ and bustlin’ at every hour.

“Tell you what,” Hongjoong suggested while sliding behind the _cat_ with a soft swish of his hanbok, a bit of a suggestive twinkle in his eyes directed at the flustered customer as his painted nails traced the pet’s jawline and the ribbon taut across his neck, “I was about to close shop. I could give you a lift back home, if you want.”

Half an hour later, a classic Rolls Royce stopped in front of the apartment building where Jongho lived. Breathing came a bit easier as soon as he stepped outside, the crisp air of the night relieving the ghost of a headache and nausea caused by both the incense permeating the whole pet shop and the turning of the events. 

The risk of ruining that timeless car was only another factor to the pile of worries choking him up that night. Jongho spent the whole ride tensely aware of San’s warm body next to him and of how much he missed it, torn between _knowing_ his boyfriend died and being thankful for another chance, however incredible it was.

Covered nearly head to toe in a cloak kindly lent by Hongjoong to hide his cat ears and tail, San dozed off hugging himself, head bent forward. Jongho would be lying if he said he wasn’t upset the older man didn’t lean against him, memories of movie nights cuddling on the couch or lazy sundays spooning on the bed flooding to the forefront of his mind like an avalanche of Polaroids, but then again it was understandable they weren’t that close yet. Hongjoong warned him, between an awkward attempt at conversation and another, that _cats_ are likely to be withdrawn and to hide when dealing with new people in a new environment, so Jongho shouldn’t take the apparent rejection to heart.

For his part, Hongjoong had been perfectly tranquil in his seat behind the driver, serenely looking outside the window. The ever present sphinx-like smirk tugged up a bit at the corners whenever he could feel Jongho discreetly looking at him, undoubtedly attempting to figure out the enigmatic man and his peculiar business.

After Jongho helped San out of the car, they circled it to get to Hongjoong’s window. The obscured panel rolled down silently to reveal the man’s expectant and sly smile.

“Thank you so much. For...everything, really.” Jongho absentmindedly tightened his grip around San’s shoulders when he thanked Hongjoong.

“Don’t mention it. Take good care of our kitty, Jongho, and don’t forget those rules,” the shop owner reminded him somewhat ominously. “Goodnight.”

With a silent nod, Hongjoong instructed the driver to go. Jongho hung around a little longer, keeping his eyes on the car until it turned at the intersection and merged in the still active traffic. Finally snapping out of whatever had him mindlessly walking around town since he clocked out of work, he hurried to take San inside and finally rid him of the cloak.

Jongho moved out of the apartment he shared with San as soon as the lease was up, about three months after the elder’s death. With two salaries they could comfortably pay rent, utilities and groceries and still have something left for more fun activities, but after a year and a half they spent there the two-bedroom flat felt too big and too luxurious and too _San_ for Jongho to keep living in it. He now lives in a comfortable studio apartment with a mezzanine, clean and well furnished. Hopefully San likes it too.

A hopeful and giddy giggle bubbled its way out of Jongho’s chest for having San once again share spaces with him. This felt more like a step backwards, when they were dating in college and used to hang out in each other’s dorm rooms, but he didn’t mind the prospect of repeating experiences or making new memories together.

°*°

“Someone is having a good day, huh?” one of the coworkers Jongho was closer to pointed out cheerily as they met at the printers, after catching him humming a melody under his breath.

The younger shrugged and bent his head shyly, but a small smile kept curving the corners of his lips upwards.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, save for the buzzing and whirring of the printers, a gentle hand rested on Jongho’s button up-clad shoulder, giving it an encouraging and meaningful squeeze.

“I’m glad.”

Jongho kept staring downwards but nodded gratefully in his coworker’s direction before the other left.

It has been two weeks since San came back. 

The first night for Jongho was an odd mix of trying to respect the older’s boundaries and fighting the urge to stick to his side at any given moment to make up for the time lost. Seeing San beeline for the tight nook between the couch and the corner wall as soon as they entered the apartment, the long tails of his ribbon and his own fluffy tail fluttering behind him, felt like a dagger straight through Jongho’s heart. At least he didn’t seem scared when approached with food (eventually devoured) or questions (unanswered), only cautious since it was just the two of them at that point. Jongho would’ve given anything to see San’s dimples back in full force; the shy ones he was gifted with at the store were just a sample that re-sparked in him the longing for his late boyfriend.

Jongho called in sick for the first week: they’ve been separated for too long to leave San alone at the first chance just because of work. There was no need to leave the house for groceries either since they got everything delivered.

Within a couple of days San started coming around, a quiet shadow who followed Jongho up and down the studio and didn’t flinch away when addressed. Food was a sure fire way to have the catboy all up in his space, staring with big sparkly eyes and an increasingly bigger pout until Jongho gave him a refill or convinced him it was enough.

(The first time Jongho saw San eat, he was shocked and mildly nauseated to see his boyfriend dive face first in the plate and scarf down the prime tuna he carefully cubed and marinated, chopsticks completely ignored.)

Soon enough, San started welcoming Jongho back from work and eventually snuggling next to him on the couch, laughing and smiling plenty, even initiating skinship in more recent days. For his part, Jongho was more than enthusiastic to indulge his boyfriend by cuddling and idly scratching him while they watched the TV, waiting on him hand and foot, entertaining him when he was bored.

(At this point, a single traitorous tear would slide down Jongho’s cheek while San purred contentedly into the crook of his neck, into his stomach or onto his lap. It always got absorbed by Jongho’s sweaters before either of them could notice it.

Jongho liked to entertain the thought that they managed to fall back in a familiar routine, but there was nothing normal or “like it used to be” in shaking shiny and tinkling objects in front of his partner's face and making him chase them. In nearly getting heart attacks whenever he jumped from the mezzanine instead of descending the stairs. In witnessing the other licking himself, or the way he ate.)

The small smile on Jongho’s face faded the more he thought back to the recent changes in his life.

Something that Jongho found more frustrating than he would’ve ever imagined was not being able to tell their friends and families about San’s return, least of all showing them as per contract instructions. They were grieving too, yet always found the time to check on him—it got almost suffocating at some point, especially right after the funeral, but Jongho managed to make them let up not too long ago, tired of the elephant in the room whenever they hung out. 

Lying to them was getting increasingly harder and it has only been a few days. He would’ve loved to scream from the top of a mountain that his boyfriend was back and that they had another chance at a life together, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk breaking a simple rule and have San leave him once and for all. Again.

(Jongho has always been quite skeptical of the supernatural, so what gives? How could he trust this Hongjoong guy so easily? How could he put all his hopes at being happy again in someone who looked like his lover yet different?)

Lastly, no matter what Jongho told or asked his boyfriend, San never replied vocally, only with gestures of his hands and nods of his head. Jongho could vividly remember the squeaky laughters, the spit-fire comments and replies when San was excited or annoyed, the barrage of questions, the teasings, the singing under the shower or by the stove. He missed those. He also could tell the catboy was upset too, probably more for saddening Jongho because of it than for being unable to talk himself.

Oh. Right. Of course he can’t talk.

He just bought a _cat_ , after all. A gorgeous black cat with a majestic tail and a pair of hypnotic eyes who, for some freaky reason, happened to look like his former _human_ lover.

He might have to talk with his doctor about changing dosage or prescription.

Jongho grabbed the piles of printed copies and returned to his cubicle.

°*°

“I’m home!”

Silence welcomed Jongho back to his apartment. His heart immediately shooted up his throat; he didn’t even bother removing his shoes or checking if the door closed properly as he rushed to the center of the living room, to have a better view of the whole place.

_‘No, no, no, no…’_

_San is gone._

_It was all a dream._

_You’re delusional._

_San is dead._

_You’re alone._

Fat tears started rolling silently down his blank face, too grief stricken to fully emote. It was with a monumental effort that Jongho climbed the stairs to his bedroom on the mezzanine, on autopilot, leaving a piece of his heart behind himself with each heavy step. Finally, he reached the landing and glanced around with blurry eyes.

Sitting at the dresser in the further corner of the bedroom, San was so lost in his thoughts while looking at his own reflection that he missed Jongho’s return and his quiet mental breakdown. He startled when he noticed a dark figure in the mirror inching closer to him, but spun on his seat with a broad smile when he realized it was Jongho. The grin was wiped off the catboy’s face as soon as he saw the state the other was in, with his ashen face splotched red from his body’s effort to cry, try to breathe, panic, feel relief, all at once.

San quickly stood up, losing his grasp on a little tube of lipstick. His touch was tender when he put his hands on Jongho’s warm and wet cheeks, wiping away the tears as best as he could; his lips pulled up in a tentative smile, but it wasn’t enough to conceal the sorrowful expression mirrored in his eyes.

After staring at Jongho’s face for a little longer, San leaned closer with a flutter of eyelashes and hearts. When he pulled back, Jongho was staring at him with wide tear-brimmed eyes as the featherlike kiss left on the tip of his nose felt like dejà-vu.

“S-San…”

The catboy leaned back against the dresser, disrupting the contained mess of make-up, jewelry and other knick-knacks he took out of the little drawers and experimented with before Jongho’s return. Before losing track of time studying his own reflection, particularly transfixed by the ribbon around his neck.

Holding Jongho’s gaze, San took the younger’s hands in his and uttered,

“ _Jjong_.”

That simple word knocked the wind out of Jongho. His face crumpled with renewed tears: after months of thinking he had lost his boyfriend forever; after getting him back in the least likely of ways; after giving up hope that his boyfriend would ever talk again...there San was, looking as handsome and soft as ever, choosing that affectionate nickname as his first word. 

Always the strongest of the two (and of their group of friends—he beat them all at arm wrestling and did push-ups with San on his back just for fun), Jongho couldn’t control his strength when he slammed into San to hug him tightly and wail on his shoulder. The dresser banged loudly against the wall, but thankfully the mounted mirror didn’t break; the few things still standing on the surface fell, some of them rolling onto the floor.

San was being painfully squeezed but he didn’t mind. He still managed to purr as he stroked Jongho’s strong back with his hands and tail, rubbing their heads together. They stood like that for a while, even after Jongho had long calmed down: San enjoyed the closeness and warmth, whereas Jongho _needed_ to feel San, to feel that he was real and that he was there to stay.

Still emotionally tender, Jongho couldn’t hold back anymore and kissed San. It was a desperate and graceless kiss, all bumping noses and bruising lips, but a gentle touch to Jongho’s arm grounded him enough to take a calming breath through his nose and initiate a more languid pace. Some more tears trickled down his eyelashes, happy ones this time as he knew things were getting better.

The delighted little noise coming from the back of San’s throat spurred Jongho on to deepen the kiss. Wandering hands started flirting with the bottom hems of their shirts, while cheeky legs rubbed against each other’s groins. Jongho pressed closer to San once he managed to get his hands underneath the oversized sweater, a sudden surge of longing and arousal from touching his favorite feature on his boyfriend’s body—sitting atop San, splaying his hands from those broad shoulders to that itty bitty waist he could wrap his hands around was one of Jongho’s most cherished moments in bed.

Engrossed in his fantasies, Jongho didn’t notice San successfully pulling his shirt free from his pants and unbuttoned, along with unbuckling his belt and slacks. A sultry smirk pulled at San’s kittenish lips before he pecked Jongho quickly in a silent invitation at heading for the bed.

Not needing to be told twice, Jongho kissed San back with enthusiasm one last time and turned towards the bed, blindly taking the elder’s hand in his to pull him along.

Jongho already had a knee on top of the comforter when a sudden gurgle coming from behind him caught his attention. His head snapped in that direction, only to be met with a gruesome sight.

San’s eyes were open wide with terror. He fell to his knees. Blood was dribbling from the corners of his mouth in tiny rivulets, but the hands around his neck were already covered in it, spilling copiously from the drenched ribbon.

The ribbon.

Jongho rushed to San’s aid. Behind the catboy, one of the tails of the ribbon was taut in the direction of the dresser: there, stuck in a closed drawer, was an end of the ribbon, while the other laid loosely untied but enough to undo whatever it was protecting.

Crying out a series of reassuring words, Jongho reached to tie the ribbon again, but it was too late. After San fruitlessly clasped both hands around his neck, slippery with blood, his head came right off with a clean cut.

The sound of San’s head thudding against the floor, followed by his decapitated body, is one Jongho won’t easily forget.

He screamed.

_The contract has been breached._

_The pet shop claims no liability for the consequences._

°*°

**_Window panel falls from building: 1 dead, 3 injured_ **

_SEOUL — A 26-year-old man is the victim of a freak accident that happened yesterday afternoon in Apgujeong._

_The man, identified as C.S., was walking down the bustling streets of the neighborhood when a window panel fell from a building under construction, beheading him._

_Three more people got injured from the glass, but they received treatment and their prognosis is positive._

_The contracted company is under investigation._

°*°

Alerted by neighbors who heard a series of blood curdling screams coming from an apartment on the third floor, the police crossed the threshold, front door barely ajar. The main floor of the studio apartment presented no signs of a fight or robbery.

“Jesus Christ!”

As soon as they reached the bedroom they were welcomed by quite the bloodbath. Crimson liquid pooled on the floor at the foot of the bed and on the bed itself, where an unresponsive man was laying on his side with his arms wrapped tightly around something. His eyes were vacant and showed no sign of acknowledging the authorities’ presence, but as soon as they touched the soft thing in his embrace he jerked away muttering indiscernible words, his voice ruined from screaming too much.

Eventually, the paramedics managed to sedate him and get a look at what he was so fiercely protecting even in his state. Most of them looked away from the decapitated black cat, but a couple of people rushed downstairs fighting the impulse to vomit, barely avoiding stepping in the puddle of blood that, with some imagination, resembled the shape of a ribbon.

**Author's Note:**

> Nth example of me having 31749 WIPs but a sudden idea sneaks up on me and doesn't leave until it's completed in a matter of days (can't hope for a quicker pace than that...). If only it was this easy (kinda) with all my other works...  
> -  
> I've been toying with the idea of a PSoH-inspired fic for a while and the horror spin to Black Cat Nero sealed the deal. Speaking of which, have a [shameless plug](https://twitter.com/stupidqpid_/status/1305151642396962817) of my fanart for their Immortal Songs performance, which sparked my headcanon of the ribbon being made out of blood (nothing exceptionally gory but still tw i guess)


End file.
